Decision Notes
Observations, questions and recurring patterns from working with CEOs, founders and boards.
01
When accountability grows faster than authority.
A new mandate or investor can change what a CEO is accountable for before decision rights have caught up. The resulting friction often remains invisible until an important decision needs to be made.
Selected Notes.
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02
When two good options both make sense.
Growth or profitability. Continuity or leadership change. Speed or control. A CEO's priorities become clearest when both options are credible and the consequences matter.
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03
New ownership versus old decision rights.
An acquisition or a new investor changes expectations. Yet the organisation often continues making decisions according to the previous mandate. That gap can quietly undermine progress.
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CEO Knopen is my Dutch-language newsletter for CEOs, founders and board members. Reflections on the decisions shaping leadership, ownership and business direction.
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THE FIRST STEP
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When CEO Accountability, Authority and Decision Rights Stop Moving Together
Most governance problems do not begin with strategy. They begin when CEO accountability rises, authority remains blurred and decision rights stay implicit. What appears later as friction usually starts as structural misalignment at the top.
The First 100 Days: When Accountability Rises Faster Than CEO Authority
Private Equity rarely changes strategy on day one. It changes accountability immediately. When accountability rises faster than CEO authority, decision-making slows and mandate starts to fragment.
When Board Expectations Quietly Outrun CEO Authority
Most CEOs believe they have clarity, until pressure tests it. When decision rights are assumed rather than defined, board expectations quietly outrun CEO authority.